82-Lancaster Farming, Saturday, November 21, 1987
Behind The Scenes
With Tom Turkey
BY JOYCE BUPP
York Co. Correspondent
YORK By Thursday,
Thanksgiving Day, Clair “Skip”
Fitz, Jr. will be especially thankful.
What he’ll be thankful for, in
addition to the blessings of life,
will be a day of solid sleep.
Beginning this weekend, and
continuing through December,
sleep is a scarce commodity at
Fitz’s Meadowbrook Turkey
Farms on Camp Betty Washington
Road.
What is plentiful at Meadow
brook is turkey. From Thanksgiv
ing week through ChriSlmas, near
ly 12,000 home-raised turkeys will
be handdressed, quick-cooled, and
placed in the hands of loyal cus
tomers. On the busiest pickup
days, as many as SO customers at a
time may be waiting in line at the
farm’s processing room, with a
security guard hired to manage the
traffic congestion on the winding
rural road.
Turkey has been a specialty at
Meadowbrook since Skip’s grand
father, William Fitz, introduced
the fresh-dressed, home-grown big
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Gift turkeys go In sturdy boxes bearing Meadowbrook’s
attractive logo. More than half of Fltz’s sales are to local
business firms who use the farm-dressed turkeys as holi
day gifts for employees.
birds at the York farmers’ markets
in the early 1900’s. A five
generation farm through Skip’s
two children, Meadowbrook origi
nally came into the family’s own
ership in 1865, when Isaac Fitz
purchased the property.
Clair Sr. and Gladys Fitz con
tinued the farm’s poultry produc
tion and farmers’ market retailing
when they took over the business,
about 1947. By the early 1960’s,as
many as 18,000 turkeys were
raised, dressed and retailed annu
ally, along with production of feed
on the farm’s 150 acres of
cropground.
In August of 1963, a fall from a
silo left Clair Fitz, Sr. paralyzed.
Skip, then age 11, was well
acquainted with all phases of the
turkey production, dressing and
retailing, having helped from
when he was old enough to fold
packing boxes. Sisters Donna, then
12, and Cindy, 9, were also famil
iar with the family business.
“From the time he was injured,
through the holidays, I had to
assume the responsibilities of an
adult. But I was mosf worried
about my father, and didn’t really
think about having to carry the
responsibility,” Fitz recalls.
Through the efforts of family
and friends, the Fitz youngsters,
and Gladys, who visited Clair dai
ly at the Philadelphia' hospital
where he was treated for many
months, thousands of customers
were not disappointed through the
holiday season.
“I’m amazed at what she did,
looking back,” Fitz says admiring
ly of his mother and her capable
handling of those hectic and uncer
tain months.
Still, three youngsters “grew
up” quickly, he adds, although
they remained active in school
activities while assisting at home.
The year following Clair’s acci
dent, turkey production was cut to
about half, a flock size that could
be handled by the family with the
assistance of one employee.
Acquiring an associate degree in
food service from Penn State, Fitz
worked in the restaurant industry
for a period, including a stint in
management. But the lure of the
farm was strong. Clair Sr. died in
1971, and his son made the choice
to return home to carry on the fam
ily farming tradition. In 1985, Fitz
purchased the Meadowbrook busi
ness and a portion of the farm.
Focus of operations have
changed through the last decade.
Contract production, once part of
the turkey program, has been
phased out in favor of total farm
processing and retailing of the
12,000 birds. And, a hog produc
tion enterprise, also operated by
Fitz through the 70’s, was
eliminated.
“I scaled back to what I could
handle myself,” Fitz decided. No
feed is grown, and the land rented
to other producers, so full attention
can be given to the turkey produc
tion and retailing.
While giant commercial turkey
production firms dress and freeze
weeks ahead of holiday peak
demand, the premium market for
fresh-dressed birds continues to be
Meadowbrook’s specially. The
local clientele also favors a heavier
bird.
“We specialize in larger turk
eys: hens go in the 15-20 pound
range, and toms about 25-30
pounds,” Fitz explains. “Turkeys
have an optimum weight level, and
then feed conversion efficiency
drops off. We spend the money
and the time to raise heavier than
the optimum efficiency weight, for
our customers.”
“In a heavier hen, there’s a little
Youngsters - and adults • visiting Meadowbrook during
Fitz’s pre-Thanksglving week of children’s group tours nev
er fall to be fascinated when he “rocks a turkey to sleep.”
Tucking the bird’s head beneath it’s wing, and then gently
rocking It for a minute or two, while the children remain very
quiet, nearly always results In a snoozing turkey.
ay. .. pportui.
ity at Meadowbrook is a highlight of the trip for children vis
iting Skip Fitz’s turkey production operation.
more fat, and a larger breast. That
makes the meat more juicy and
tender,” he explains.
Although dressing begins on a
limited scale in September, the
processing room and refrigeration
areas run in high gear from the
Saturday before Thanksgiving
through the day before Christmas.
In the three days prior to Thanks
giving, up to 5,000 turkeys are
dressed. Maximum number ever
dressed in one memorable, mar
athon, workday was 1,900.
‘That means working almost
straight through some days, and
going on four hours sleep,” Fitz
admits. Days off arc a rarity
through the year, and virtually
impossible after dressing of the
turkeys begins in the fall.
Processing is handled by a well
experienced crew of up to 25, and
heavily concentrated on weekends
when their time is more available.
“There are many who help, not
for the money, but,as friends,”
adds Fitz.
Dressed turkeys are immediate
ly plunged into ice water for about
two hours, the time needed to cool
the body cavity temperature to the
ideal mid-30-degrees. Packaging
is in “shrink” plastic tags, which
mold to the carcass shape when the
pack is plunged in hot water. The
tightly-fit wrap eliminates air from
around the dressed bud, better pre
Three to five-year-olds from the parents’ participation
nursery at Lutheran Memorial Church, York, take home
turkey-feather quill pens after their tour of Meadowbrook
Farms.
wmesiead
ttfoips
serving the moisture and tender
ness of the meat. From refrigera
tion until delivery time usually is
less than two days, and some turk
eys even go direct from ice water
bath to the customers’ hands.
More than half of Fitz’s sales are
to local firms which provide holi
day gift turkeys to employees.
Many companies prefer frozen
birds, which Meadow Brook also
handles on site to serve that mark
et. Social clubs and fundraising
groups also utilize Meadow Brook
turkey gift certificates for prizes in
contests and drawings.
Gift-pack turkeys go into attrac
tive, sturdy cardboard boxes bear
ing the farm’s logo. Just shaping
the 6,000-plus boxes needed each
year is a chore. Fitz’s children,
Kaly, 9, and Dusty, 6, lend a hand
with this same job that initiated
their father into turkey retailing.
And, Gladys, now employed in
real estate, still assists during the
heaviest days of the holiday
seasons.
Meadow Brook has no formal
media advertising program for
their turkey retailing. Satisfied
customers who return yearly
and bring their friends have
held demand to fairly steady
Ipvels. And, a full week of tours for
nursery-kindergarten children’s
groups offers a different angle of
(Turn to Pag* B 4)